Cochin/Indien

1.5.2024 Kochi

The morning began with an interesting lecture by astronomer Tom Vassos on the topic of "Daring Space Exploration Missions".

We docked at the port of Cochin in the early afternoon. At first we needed a lot of patience to get through the Indian passport control, but my "big" friend Debbie from Minnesota and I actually managed to meet behind the passport control at 4 p.m. as agreed.

Then the negotiations with the drivers began. We didn't want a round trip, we just wanted a destination that wasn't too far away. The drivers quoted us prices that were far too high, so we drove a little way away from the entrance to the port and came across the camp of tuktuk drivers. We came to an agreement with an older driver called Johnson. He went off to get his "Ferrari", as he said. He came back with his tuktuk, which of course had nothing in common with a Ferrari apart from the bright yellow color. We got in and drove off.

Our destination was the TD High School in the Mattancherry district, from where the booked tour "Kochi Street Food Krawl" was to start.

Because we weren't due to meet there until 6 p.m., the driver showed us a very primitive laundry and the famous Chinese fishing nets.

When we arrived at our destination, we still had over half an hour to spare. Debbie sat in the shade while I strolled through the noisy, dirty, busy, but also interesting streets. I actually found an ATM that provided me with local currency.

I got back to Debbie in time to greet our tour guide. He got us some delicious sugar cane juice so we could set off refreshed. He showed us the largest wooden canoe in the world, the largest cooking bowl and the longest incense stick. The incense stick was the main attraction in the incense stick manufacturer's factory. An employee showed us how an incense stick is made by hand. At the same time, an employee introduced us to his natural scented oils and I actually bought two small bottles of them.

We then visited "Jew Town", where two Jews still live, we took a look at the locked Jewish cemetery and, not entirely voluntarily, looked around in a shop selling fabrics and handicrafts.

Then it was time for the highlight of the tour: dinner. The small, simply furnished restaurant was reached by passing the workstation of a chef who was making flatbreads that resembled French crêpes.

Instead of a menu, there was a glass pane through which you could look at the dishes available. You could read what they were on the signs. I decided on a curry with squids, Debbie chose one with fiery chicken, the tour guide chose scampi curry. This was served with fresh flatbread and something that was probably ground rice. Everything was very spicy, tasty and filling. The Indian way of eating takes a little getting used to: While Debbie and I used spoons wherever possible, the Indians shovel everything into their mouths with their bare hands.

For dessert, we drove a long way to a candy store where we got a fruity pastry in a creamy sauce. Delicious! While we were waiting for our dessert, a young Indian woman spoke to Debbie and a nice conversation developed between the two women, the Indian husband and me about our origins and our trip around the world. At the end, the two of them really wanted to take a selfie with Debbie and me. If future Indian statues have our facial features: That's what this photo is about!

We were driven back to our meeting point and were allowed to wait in the air-conditioned car until our tuktuk arrived on time as agreed. An adventurous drive through Cochin at night brought us back to the ship, which left quite late this time.